Measuring instrument



Aug. 31, 1943. B. NIOORE 2,328,163

' MEASURING INSTRUMENT Original Filed March 8, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 7 W I 5 l4 5 1 I '8 F g 27 31 '38 INVENTPR COLEMAN B. MOORE W 7 ATTORNEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 31, 1943 c; B. MOORE MEASURING INSTRUMENT Original Filed March -8, 1938 P AIR INVENTOR COLEMAN B. MOORE ATTORNEY I m N e a. is?

v FIGS 5 52 48 DIAPHRAGM Patented Aug. 31, 1943 MEASURING INSTRUMENT Coleman B. Moore, Carroll Park, Pa., assignor to The Brown Instrument Company,

Philadelphia,

a corporation of Pennsylvania Original application March 8, 1938, Serial No.

194,582, now Patent No.

2,242,656, dated May 20, 1941. Divided and this application October 7, 1939, Serial No. 298,350

5 Claims. (Cl. 171-229) This invention is a division of my copending application Serial Number 194,582, filed March 8, 1938, which has matured into Patent Number 2,242,656 dated May 20, 1941 and relates broadly to means for effecting a controlling operation in response to the variation in somemeasurable variable condition, such as the variation in current flowing irom a thermocouple.

More specifically, I have devised a means for varying the setting of a potentiometer slide-wire, that is part of apotentiometer circuit, by a pneumatically operated system which is free in a large part from the usual mechanical disadvantages attendant upon link and lever arrangements that are ordinarily used. In the system devised by me, any deflection of a galvanometer, connected in aimeasuring circuit, is caused to vary the pressure of a fluid acting on a piston in a cylinder, thus causing the piston to change its position andl vary the setting or a potentiometer slidewire. a It is a further object of my invention to use a floating coil galvanometer of the type above mentioned to control an air actuated motor that is used to position a potentiometer slide-wire.

'The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its advantages and specific objects obtained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which'Ihave illustrated and described \a preferred embodiment of the invention;

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 oi the drawings shows one form of my invention with parts thereof in section;

Fig. '2 i511 sectional view of the galvanometer used in Fig. 1; i

Fig. 2A is a view from the top of Fig; 2 omitting the galvanometer coil;

Fig. 3 is a view of another form of my invention with parts in section; Fig. 4 shows still another form of the invention with a follow-up thereon; and

change its angular position, to adjust, through suitable controls, a potentiometer slide-wire .2

that is connected in any suitable potentiometer or other null point circuit to rebalance the galvanometer. The position of the slide-wire, through some suitable means, may then be used to indicate, record, and/or control the condition to which the thermocouple is responsive.

Potentiometric circuits of the type contemplated herein are well known, such, for example,

as disclosed in the Harrison Patent 1,898,124, and

include a known source of voltage TA impressed voltage, the galvanometer is ln i ts null position, I 'but, on an increase above or decrease below the known voltage of the unknown voltage, the-galvanometer will be deflected in one direction or the other respectively proportionately to the magnitude of the increase or decrease. This invention is concerned with the means by which deflections of said galvanometer control slide-wire djustments to continuously rebalance the potentiometer system;

v The galvanometer coil I is attached toa suitable cap 3 that'has on its upper side an electrical connection 4, and is formed on its lower side with two radial grooves 5 and 6. The cap or disc 3 has attached at its center a perpendicular, pointed pin 1 which loosely fits in passage 8 of the base 9, of anysuitable magnetic core material, that is rigidly attached to any suitable support by screw Ill. The coil 1 circles the base 9. and has attached to its lower side another-electrical connection l3, that also acts to limit the upward Fig.5ls a-modification of the .invention with a different type of follow-up.

In Fig. 1 there is shown a pneumatic means for varying the position of a potentiometer slidewire that consists of a. floating coil galvanometer having a coil I that is connected in circuit with a thermocouple, or some other source of measurable current. As the current changes in magnitude, it causes the coil of the galvanometer to movement of the cap 3 to control the width ofthe air gap between the cap and base member-9.- A

plate [I attached to the lower sidebi' the' c'oil lis" adapted to abut against a stop I! on the base 9* to prevent undue movement between the. two

during shipment.

Air from a suitably regulated source of constant pressure enters a conduit l4 which has three branches, one of which, indicated at l5, leads directly to passage -8 in the galvanometer base 9.

As the air enters this passage, it is diverted :by

the conduit M has Fig. 1;to float cap 3.

the coil I is really floating on a film of air and is able to deflect in accordance with the variations of the thermocouple voltage practically without friction.

Each of the'other two branches l9 and 22 of in it a restriction l6, and each leads to one of a pair of ports ll or 2| in the base 9 and to one end of a cylinder 23. The ports l8 and 2| are in a line that is paralleled to and slightly spaced from a diameter of the base. 9. so that they are each about half covered by an edge of the corresponding groove 5, 6 in the cap 3. In this manner, the air escaping from passage 8 is variably throttled to create a pressure inthe ports I8 and 2| that varies as the cap turns to increase the opening of one port and decrease the opening of the other. The cylinder 23 has a piston 24 therein whose piston rodl 25 is formed at its outer end with teeth meshing, with a pinion 26 that is attached to and turns with the slide-wire 2.

nozzles, so that air flowing through the restric- In the operation of this modification, as the galvanometer coil deflects, the edge of slot 5, 6 in the cap 3 acts on the ports l8 and 2| to increase the opening ofone and decrease it on the other, thereby building up a differential pressure across the piston 24 in cylinder 23. Due to this differential, the piston 24 is moved one way or the other to rotate pinion 26 and adjust the slide-wire 2 in a direction to rebalance the galvanometer circuit. Thi in turn again equalizes the pressure on the ends of the piston 24 to keep the slide-wire in its adjusted position. v

The modification of Fig. 3 is similar to that of Fig. 1, except that the differential pressure created in the galvanometer is applied to a relay device instead of being applied direct to the power cylinder.. Air is supplied through conduit l4 to branch l5 which leads to passage 8, as in This air tends to escape tions 31 and 38 can escape at an equal ratethrough nozzles 4| and 42.

As the flapper is moved counter-clockwise, as above described, it will move toward nozzle 4|" and. further away from nozzle 42,.thus causing pressure to build up in the conduit 39 and in the right end "of cylinder 23, with a corresponding decrease in pressure in conduit 49 and the left end of cylinder 23. Due to the difference in pressure in the ends of the cylinder, the pistonwill move to the left and rotate the slide-wire clockwise. A deviation of the galvanometer in the other direction will cause a corresponding, but

reverse, action to occur to move the slide-wire counter-clockwise. In Figs. 1-3, the actuating piston 24 may be termed floating device in the sense that no definite relationship exists between the position of the ,piston and the pressure by which it is actuateda The galvanometer will be displaced whenever an unbalance exists in the measuring circuit, and piston 24, as a result of the pressure differential created by the galvanometer placement, will be moved continuously until the through ports l8 and 2|, as well as between the edges of the cap and base 9 to build up a pressure in,the ports l8 and- 2| and the conduits and 32. These bellows are fastened to the "base,

plates 29a and 30a respectively, in an air-tight manner, and their interiors are left open to the atmosphere. 1

Upon a deflection of the galvanometer coil, the edge of slot 5, for example, will uncoverport l8, while the edge of slot 5 .covers port 2|. Accordingly, pressure will be built up in port l8, conduit 21 and chamber 29 to compress bellows 3|, as a reverse action takes place in port 2| to cause a reduction of pressure in chamber 30 and an expansion of bellows 32. A rod 33, fastened at its ends to the movable end walls of bellows 3| and 32, and passing through plates 29a and.

' strictibns 31 and 38, are two conduits 39 and 49,

one of which, conduit 39, diverges at its lower end, onebranch leading to one end of the cylinderj23, and the other branch leading to a pilot nozzle 4|. Conduit 46 branches also, one branch pressure difference across the galvanometer is eliminated by potentiometer rebalance. Under conditions calling for high velocities of the moving parts, the inertia of those parts may give rise to hunting or oscillation, and through the piston 24 of Figs. 1-3 may be suitably damped, I prefer to use an arrangement such as is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 which facilitates a high speed of ,rebalancing action without hunting.

. In Figs. 4 and 5, the piston 24 isnot floating" as in the case of Figs. 1-3, but is spring urged against a loading air pressure controlled by the galvanometer. The piston is thereby moved into a position dependent upon the balance of the air pressure upon the piston in one direction and the opposing spring force, the latter of which increases in substantial linear proportion to its I compression, as is well known.

The galvanometer of Fig. 4 diflers from that of Figs. 1-3, in that it has only one control part, which may be either l8 or 2 as convenient. The galvanometer coil is .floated by air supplied from conduit l4 to conduit |5, such supply in this instance being shown as coming from a. source 43 that may be either a small compressor or a storage tank. Such supply may be either of the constant volume variety or may be a suitably restricted constant pressure supply. The upper end of conduit i4 has attached to it a small bleed nozzle 44 which is fastened in a support 45. *Up-= on deviation of the galvanometer, pressure will build up or decrease through port 2| to conduit 46 which terminates in a chamber 41 that is closed by a diaphragm 49. This'diaphragm is formed of a thin flexible material; such as rubber, and has resting upon it a plate that is attached to loading lever 49. A flapper 56 ior varying the amount of air escaping from nozzle 44 is pivoted at 5|,-and has a normal gravitational bias in a counter-clockwise direction against the action of pin 52 on the end of loading lever 49, the other end of which is pivoted at 53 on one end of link 54, that is in turn pivoted at 55 and has a gravitational and/or spring bias in a clockwise direction.

The slide-wire 2 is rotated in one direction in this modification by air supplied from branch 58 of conduit I4 that leads to the left end of a cylinder 51, and in the other direction by spring 58 in the right end of the cylinder that is open to the atmosphere. Slidable in the cylinder is piston 24, having one face acted on by-air from the branch 58, and having the other and acted on by spring 58. The piston rod 25 has rack teeth on it that mesh with the pinion 28 on the slide-wire shaft as in Figs. 1 and 3.

As the galvanometer coil deviates from neutral, it will vary the restriction of port 2| to thereby change the pressure of the air in chamber 41. If the deflection of the galvanometer is such that an increase in pressure is created in conduit 46, the-diaphragm 48 will be raised, moving loading lever 49 clockwise around. its pivot 53 to allow flapper 58 to move nearer nozzle 44 raising the pressure in cylinder 41, moving piston 24 to the right, and rotating the slide-wire in a clockwise direction.

In order for the motion of the slide wire to oppose the pressure change in the cylinder and therefore prevent the slide-wire from over-shoot ing and thereby causing a hunting action, as well as to permit the galvanometer to return to normal while permitting the pressure in cylinder 5T to remain sufficient to maintain the slide-wire adjustment, a follow-up is provided. This folmissible "neutral existing in practically an compressure increase and increases the pressure in framework at and pivotally connected to lever- 48 at 53. As the slide-wire rotates in a'clockwise direction, the portion of the cam under roller 80 gradually becomes of smaller radius, so that lever a 8| islowered ortumed in a counter-clockwise direction to lower pin 83. Lowering of pin 58 will lower the right end of link' 54, and thereby through connection 53, raise the right-hand end 7 of the loading lever 48 on diaphragm 48 as a ful- .crumto restore'the flapper toward its original mercial self-balancing potentiometers now in use.

It should be noted that in the system as shown in the drawings, with an increase. in pressure in the power cylinder, there will also be an increase in pressure to the supply for the floating coil of the galvanometer. Since, however,- the galvanometer coil is floating, the pressure underneath eap 8 is more or less regulated by the weight of the'floating part, acting similar to a pressure regulator for the port 2] opening to conduit 45. There will, however, be a slight variation in pressure due to a change in velocity of the air passing through the port 2i. To insure the galvanometer coil floating at all times, it is necessary to have the maximum and minimumcylinder pressure above that required to float the galvanometer coil. 1

In some cases, it may be desirable to supply the floating coil with a separate regulated air supply in order to keep the pressure variation required to drive the slide-wire separate from the floatin coil itself. Such an arrangement is shown in the modification of, Fig. 5

The modification of'Fig. 5 secures a follow-up operation generally equivalent to that of Fig.- 4, but differs therefrom in various details. In this form of the invention the slide-wire 2 is held from rotating, while an arm 65, having the potentiometer slide-wire contact 88 thereon, is mounted on shaft 51 for rotation therewith. As the contact 86, moves around the slide-wire, it varies the resistance in the galvanometer circuit to rebalanc'e the potentiometer circuit and restore the galvanometer to neutral position. Also rrounted on and rotatable with shaft 81 is a pulley 88 and a cam 58. ,The shaft and its associated parts are biased in a counter-clockwise direction by spring (0 against the pull of wire II that is fastened at one end to the pulley, and. at the other, to piston rod 12 of piston 18. This piston slides in a cylinder 14 that has one end open to the atmosphere, 'and has the other end connected by conduit 15 with nozzle 44 and supply I5. Between the supplyand the conduit 15 is a restriction 11 that serves to reduce the pressure supply to the cylinder and the nozzle.

. The piston 18 of Fig. 5 is subjected to a constant position. The diaphragm 48 may be limp so that its loading tendency, including the weight of the associated parts, opposing the pressure in chamber 41, is constant, and within its range ofaction it may move continuously on a rise above or decrease below that loading force of the presthereby the pressure in cylinder 51. The latter pressure, with the proper adj student and Proportioning oi the parts inclu I g pin 88 and the. edge oi cam 58', will be just sumcient to maintain the proper adjustment or slide-wire 2 against the bias of spring 58. Alternatively, diaphragm 48 may havea normal resiliency, as a result of which, pressure in the chamber 41 may be differcut for different positions of the slide-wire. so

spring force by virtue of the construction of spring III which may consist of a sufiicient number of turns to make its force substantially constaht throughout its range 0 action.

Upon a deflection of the galvanometer in a direction, for example, to permit an increase in the amountof opening of the port l8 in this modification, pressure will build up in the conduit 18 leading to the chamber 41. As the pressure in the chamber increases, diaphragm 48 will be lifted to move loading lever 49 around its pivot 58, which is flxed in this embo ent, in a direction that will allow flapper 58 to move toward the nozzle 44. The pressure in conduit I5 and the cylinder I4 will thereby build up to move piston 18 to the left against the force of spring 18, thus rotating shaft 81 and contact 88" clockwise.

arranged, a slight but practically-neglisible displacement of the galvanometer may be required In' lieu of the mechanical stabilizing means oi Fig. 4, I provide in Fig. 5 a pneumaticdevice including a bellows 84 communicating with conduit l8 and fixed to a pivoted end head. A part 84A flxed to thefree end of bellows 84 is attached to lever 88 by means of a screw 8} in a slot 88 of the lever 88 which is pivoted at 8|. Lever a. carries a roller 18 enga n the edge of a cam -duit l8,and chamber 41, as a result of which the diaphragm 48 and loading lever 49 will lift theflapper from nozzle 44. With the proper volumetric proportion of the bellows 84 and its connection to chamber 41 which may be adjusted .by a variable restriction 85 and of themechanical actuating connections for the bellows all as related to the inertia of the moving elements sition'in response to potentiometer circuit unbalance, movable fluid pressure rebalancing mechaanism including a member adapted ,toLbefSet in operation in one direction or in the opposite direction by anincrease or decrease-respectively of the fluid pressure acting on said member a' valve continuously adjusted by the galvanometer to regulate said pressure accordingly as the galvanometer deflection is in one direction. or the other from said neutral position, means operable by said rebalancing mechanism to readjust'said ,valve directly andterminate saidoperation, and

means operated by said rebalancing mechanism to rebalance the potentiometer circuit.

including galvanometer I, at the end of the rebalancing movement of contact 66, the flapper- 50 will be in its original position, and the air pressure in cylinder 14 will just be sufllcient to balance the force of spring 10. The system is now again in a state of equilibrium with the contact 66 in its new position.

Though the pivot 53 in the'apparatus just .described is fixed as it should /be when the, spring 10 is a constant force spring,- a variable force springsuch as the spring 58 of Fig, 4 maybe 2. In a'self-balancing potentiometer, the com bination with a potentiometer circuit of a galvanometer adapted to deflect in accordance with potentiometer circuit unbalance, an angular-1y adjustable rebalancing element, afluidpressure motor including a part movable to and no in response to changes in fluid-pressure acting on said motor, means connecting said part and element whereby the latter is angularly adjusted in-accordance' with movement of-said part, means operated by said element to rebalance gsaid potentiometer circuit, and valvemeans continuousused in place of spring Ill. So arranged, the

pivot 53 may be made movable to compensate for the pressure'change necessary to maintain the slide-wire in a difierent position, notwithstanding the return or the galvanometer to its normal position. Such compensating motion maybe effected with the mechanism of Fig. 4 added to that of Fig. 5 which really amounts only to the addition of the lever 54.

It will be seen from the above disclosurethat I have inventeda new form of galvanometer that eliminates the necessity of a galvanometer pointer and attendant periodic contact by a-teeler, or the like, and of delicate suspensions andpivots therefor.

Because the coil of the galvanometer i floating on air, only. a negligible amount of -power is needed to 'causega deflection thereof, and immediately upon the occurrence of a deflection, the balancing operation is started, and continues without interruption until it is completed. 'lllie slide-wire may be'moved full-scale in one con-.

tinuous movement at high speed but with sta-' bilized motion.

Another advantage of the above-described systems is that no change in the galvanometersensitivity is needed for different scale ranges, since the slide-Wire continues to mov regardless of the galvanometer deflection, until it isrebalanced at zero.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I have illustrated and described the best 1. In a self-balancing potentiometer, the com-.

bination with a potentiometer circuit of agalvanometer adapted to deflect from a neutral poart that ,ly and jointly'controlled by the deflection of said galvanometer and the angular adjustment of said element for regulating said pressure. 3;.In a system of the class described, a nor mally balanced network including means responsive to the lack of; balance of said network, a

member, means operated by. said member to .re-

balance said network, pneumatic actuating means for saidmember movable inaccordance .with an increase or adecreaseof fluid pressure acting thereon; a first valve meansto. regulate said pressure, asecond valvem'eans forming part readjust said first valve means to substantially its original position; I

4. In va, system ofthe class described, a normhllybaianced network including means responsive to the unbalance there'of a member, means,

operated by said member to rebalance saidfnetwork, pneumatic actuating means for said incurber adapted to be moved to and fro in response to variations of pressure thereon, valve means continuously responsive to movements of aidresponsive means to change the pressure acting on said actuating means, and meam jointly controlled by the movement .of said responsive means and said member to return said valve means 'to substantially its original condition.

5. In a self-balancing potentiometer, the combination with a galvanometer adapted to, deflect in response to potentiometer 'unbalance, a rebal ancing element, pneumatic actuating means'for said element adapted to be moved to and fro in response to changes in pressure thereon, valve means continuously regulated by deflections of a said galvanometer to vary the pressure'acting on said actuating means, and means directlylactuated by and responsive to movement of'said actuating means to partly'counteract the pressure changes thereon as regulated'by said. galvanoni eter.

COLEMAN B. MOORE. 

